Sessions #6 is alighting on the beautiful tropical island of Langkawi, Malaysia.

Our programme has a strong focus on sustainability, exploring eco-tourism, bio-diversity and community engagement / enrichment through a variety of lenses.

Host hotel the Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, will provide a suitable backdrop to an agenda which has nature at its core. The antithesis of a typical business hotel, this tropical island sanctuary is nestled between award-winning landscape gardens and Cenang beach, designed around the concept of a traditional Malay village.

Its rooms, housed in wooden chalets, are arranged in a series of clusters with individual verandahs, linked by a footpath that meanders between palm trees, providing a haven for local flora, fauna and wildlife.

Our opening SYMPOSIA session is a one-to-one interview with KP Ho. The founder of Banyan Tree and recipient of the 2024 AHEAD Asia Outstanding Contribution Award, will explore his extraordinary career xxx

We’re working closely with legendary Langkawi property The Datai – as featured on the BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby – to curate a series of workshops and breakouts. Based on their Datai Pledgeinitiative, these SUSTENANCE sessions will immerse guests in local arts and crafts, nature-based activities and community and conservation efforts to highlight the transformational potential of travel.

Resident naturalist Irshad Mobarak will be in conversation with The Datai Hotels & Resorts CEO Arnaud Girodon to map out how sustainable island tourism of the future could look.

We will also take a journey into the realm of slow travel, with Belmond’s Marianne Khan – designer of the newly restored Eastern & Oriental railway that now carries passengers from Singapore to the Malaysian jungle – in conversation with Francesco Galli Zugaro, founder and CEO of Aqua Expeditions, a pioneer in intimate, small ship excursions across Asia and the Americas.

Colin Seah of Ministry of Design, and Justin Chen, co-founder of Else Retreats will participate in a discussion on how heritage buildings can be repurposed for hospitality, whilst representatives of some of the region’s biggest operators will look at the challenges involved in delivering sustainable solutions on a large scale in urban centres.

As always these engaging talks will be built around SESSIONS signature mix of SYNC specifier-supplier meetings, and SOCIAL networking opportunities in idyllic beachfront settings. Guests arriving early will also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rainforest on a mangrove tour in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Geokilim Forest Park, hosted by natural tourism pioneers Junglewalla